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Can the Green Party Carry a 66% Majority Today?
Read more about: Coalition, Fianna Fail, Government, Green Party 
The Irish Times purport to have seen the programme, which has been discussed at length by WBS over at the Cedar Lounge. For those who missed it, the Times reckon that Shannon, the M3, road-building, Mary Harney/Health and income tax cuts are all to proceed as normal. Greens to get E50 Million extra for education and a carbon tax in the next five years.
World by Storm interestingly compares it to the Democratic Left conference of 1994 and the subsequent implosion in that party. Gerry equally hopes the party don’t vote in support of the programme, it is unnecessary and bad for the whole system. Michael has echoed those sentiments. It seems that all this will be academic come 9:15 this evening.
Yet looking at some of the purported contents of that programme, it is a hard sell. Can they do it? Should they do it?
depends on the deal. But if they thought it wass ok they should sell it. I have no time for this don’t vote FF stuff. They got the votes FG/La didn’t deal with it.
Trevor Sergeant will be seeing a lot of his party members, voters and sympathisers. He’ll be sitting in the Ministerial Merc and they will be behind the security barriers waving placards and protesting!
Anyone taking bets on how long the Greens will last before splitting?
Gordon
If the Irish Times article is close to the truth, they have sold out on many/most of their key priorities for one paltry ministry in a government with FF/PDs, including Harney in health. This is an embarassment after such lengthy negotiations and talk of red lines. I hope the convention doesn’t vote for the end of green politics in Ireland. This is not what many Green voters voted for and it will inevitably affect their future voting behaviour negatively.
I believe that they will do it. They have got commitments on some of their policy requirements. Shannon was never going to be ceded but a review of co location is offered. Carbon taxes introduced over the next couple of years as well as local government reform, including mayoral elections. Extra spending in education and a review of the planning of the M3 with the possibility of rerouting. Also the rejection of the landfill levy will probably knock incineration on the head now. And they are going to get 2 Senior ministries, probably Enviornment as it takes in local government (2 of their main policy planks) and one other (Education or Tourism, I don’t think Transport, although if they got that they’re in business).I think they did well for a party with no experience of negotiations.
It will pass in my opinion because the leadership of the party as well as the focus group that was around at the talks are supporting it. Cuffe seemed very enthusiastic about it as does Sargent. Therefore I believe that it will get the 66% support it needs. And I believe that they will an excellent party of government.
I also believe the Greens will be an excellent party of government; just not as an addendum to an FF/PD government. Time will tell.
It’s just as well that they probably serve Perrier at the Fianna Fail tent at the Galway Races because apparently the tap water will still be undrinkable then. Presumably none of the Greens will be showing their faces in the tent.
No, they shouldn’t do it. I agree with MEP – it is an embarassment.
On the evidence of the Irish Times today, the “package” described is paltry. I am not a member, so don’t have the real package details to hand. But local government is just that: for local government! Why on earth should that form a central plank of a Green national coalition? There is talk of “reshuffling” the environment ministry – presumably to water it down. Yet Harney gets Health again, and a huge budget to boot. And 50million extra for education!! A pittance. Seriously, seriously little money when set aside the total 8.4 billion budget for education. In fact, 0.59%. Ridiculous.
The Irish Times is spinning the document as part of its vendetta against Bertie – their ‘second round’. The deal is as follows:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0613/greendocu.html
Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:47 pm Green draft programme for Government
Wednesday, 13 June 2007 15:18
Environment
* Set a target for reduction of 3% per year on average in Irish greenhouse gas emissions.
* Mandate the Dept of Environment to publish an annual report setting out progress on meeting climate change targets.
* Review and renew the role of the EPA
* Establish Climate Change commission
* Introduce Noise Bill
* Require carbon offsetting of all official air travel in support of urban forests.
Energy
* Dramatically accelerate the growth of renewable energy sources in the electricity, heat and transport sectors of the economy. One third of all electricity consumed will come from renewable energy by 2020.
* Devise a price support scheme to support and encourage investment in the development of wave and tidal power.
* Introduce new national building standards in 2007 to ensure that new housing has 40% lower heat energy demand than existing building standards and revise them again in 2010 to achieve a 60% target in further years.
* Introduce new National Attic and Wall Insulation Grant Scheme worth €100m.
* Ensure that the ESB installs a new smart electronic meter in every home in the country which will allow people to reduce their bills by cutting back on unnecessary use of electricity.
* Work with the European Commission and other national grid operators to develop an offshore wind farm grid connection system to power the rest of Europe.
* Provide substantial financial support to improve the energy efficiency of existing public housing and assist those on low incomes to avoid fuel poverty.
Transport
* Multi-criteria analysis of all transport projects to take into account environmental factors on a whole project basis.
* Bring into being a National Transport Regulator after bringing into being a Dublin Transport Authority.
* Substantially improve and expand the Luas service in Dublin.
* Establish and support the work of the Dublin Transport Authority to oversee strategic planning, infrastructure, services, fares, routes and traffic management.
* Reopen Western rail Corridor from Ennis to Claremorris.
* Opening the Navan rail line.
* Opening Cork-Midleton rail service, provide a commuter rail service between Galway and Athenry.
* Conduct feasibility studies, to be completed within two years, into the Luas-style light rail systems in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
Education
* Commit to an additional €350m per year on new service developments in education.
* Provide each child with special needs with the right to an individual Education Plan. In case of autism the Plan will enable them to benefit from a range of teaching approaches.
* Ensure education in road safety is provided at different stages of the school system.
Expand the number of adult literacy training places by 4000.
Taxation Policy
* Setting up a Commission on Taxation to examine the balance of how taxes are collected, the value of taxes reliefs and the introduction of environmental taxes.
* Changes in VAT in relation to environmental goods and services.
* A carbon levy to be introduced during the lifetime of this Government.
Social Partnership
* Environmental organisations to become social partners.
* Comhar – The National Sustainability Council – to become part of the National Economic and Social Development Office, and given an enhanced research role.
Extraordinary Rendition
* The Irish Government is completely opposed to the practice of extraordinary rendition. To that end, the Government will encourage and support An Garda Síochána in the investigation an enforcement of these Statues. It will do this by making resources available for specialised training in the provisions of those Statutes to members of An Garda Síochána and by other means as may be required by An Garda Síochána in order to ensure effective protection for the dignity of all persons within or passing through the State. We will ensure that all relevant legal instruments are used so that the practice of extraordinary rendition does not occur in this State in any form.
Electoral Reform
* Establish an independent Electoral Commission to take responsibility for electoral administration and oversight. It will also take charge of the compilation of a new national rolling electoral register. It will take over the functions of the Standards in Public Office Commission in relation to electoral expenditure and examine the issue of financing of the political system.
Local Government Reform
* We will reform local government making it more transparent and more responsible to its customers. A Green Paper on Local Government Reform will be published with in six months of coming into office. This Green Paper will examine proper balance of power at local levis between the Manager and the elected representatives, the issue of directly elected Mayors/Chairs, the establishment of town councils in those towns that have shown significant population growth in recent years and the provision of quality customer service to the public.
* Directly elected Mayor for Dublin by 2011.
* We will review the operation of local government legislation to ensure that the decision making processes in local authorities are rebalanced in favour of the democratically elected representatives of the people.
* Ensure that there is an acceptable ‘buffer period’ before civil servants or local government officials can take up employment in related areas of the private sector.
The agreement is pathetic. The commitments on energy policy eg. 30% renewable sources by 2020 were Government policy anyway – see Energy White Paper. The commitments on Shannon are such a fudge that no Green Party member could stomach them. The Greens have been outflanked by FF with the result that the leadership of the party is now under serious scrutiny . How can Trevor Sargent continue as leader having sanctioned the talks and accepted this derisory offer?
The RTE document neglects both health and corporate donations, which, as I understood it, were two of the fundamental issues of the Greens’ election manifesto.
Some good stuff in there but not that much new.
In a Coalition agreement, there is give and take. The Greens are expected to get 2 full Cabinet positions like the PDs in 1989 when they had 6 seats.
Even Patricia McKenna expects the deal to pass. If even she is supporting it, it must be going down well.
I thought Patricia was on the New at One saying she was disappointed.
Actually yes I later saw that but she also says she expects it to be carried as the leadership has the ‘wind at their backs’.
It’s pudding for Bertie as Fianna Fáil eat their Greens.
So you were just plain wrong to say she was supporting it?